Sunday, 10 November 2013

Retreat from Moscow scenario idea

We're planning a 'Retreat from Moscow' game, tentatively to be played in January. Here are my ideas for the game.

This will be a multi-player game, with each player in charge of a group of 6-10 survivors of the Grand Armée. Ideally we'll have around four players. The objective will be to get the survivors across the board to the Beresina crossing.

Rations and fatigue: Each team will start with two rations per survivor. Hard physical work like fighting or moving in difficult terrain will cost rations. Teams may obtain more rations by foraging. They may also take rations from defeated opponents, including other players' teams. Rations will be represented by tokens (smarties or m&ms). Any figure for whom there are no rations will be designated as 'fatigued' and will be at a -1 penalty for all dice rolls.

Foraging: The GM will set out a number of locations for foraging, included farms, ruined wagons or carts, or anything else that seems appropriate. A figure may move into contact with the area to be searched, at which time the GM will reveal what is to be found at the location. Possibilities may include:

6+d6 rations

Angry peasant mob, 6+d6 members. If defeated, these will provide one ration per peasant.

Cossack ambush! d6 cossacks immediately attack. If driven off, they will shadow the team, staying 12" away. Defeated cossacks will group together and once in a group that outnumbers a team of survivors, they will attack.

Ambushers will be played by another player.

Rules: The game will be played using GW's Legends of the Old West (LotOW) and its supplements. LotOW is based on the Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game. Figures will have weapons and equipment as shown on the figure. Weapons will include muskets, flintlock pistols, sabres, improvised weapons, two-handed weapons, bayonets, lances. Other weapons may be added if appropriate. One change will be that muskets have a half-move penalty rather than full (otherwise we're likely to be stuck and won't get anywhere).

Turn order: At the start of each turn, one playing card will be dealt to each player. Each player will go in turn starting with the highest value card and proceeding to the lowest. In case of a tie, each affected player will draw a second card to break the tie.

Statistics:

Russian peasant:

S F St G A W P

6+ 2 3 3 1 1 2

Special: Safety in numbers

Cossack:

S F St G A W F

5+ 3 3 3 1 1 3

Special: Life is precious

Soldier:

S F St G A W F

4+ 3 3 3 1 1 3

Special: none

Civilian Refugee:

S F St G A W F

5+ 3 3 3 1 1 2

I'll add lines for heroes once I think a bit more about them. Heroes will include officers, NCOs, village chiefs, cossack sotniks and other significant figures.